Page 12 - SpringBoard_ELA_Grade8_Flipbook

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grade 7
In SpringBoard Grade 7, you will investigate the thematic concept of choice. All of us make choices every day. Some of those choices have a short-term impact (like what to have for lunch), while others have
a greater impact (like whether to study in school or to goof off!). By reading from his autobiography, you will learn about Nelson Mandela’s choice to fight segregation in South Africa—even though it meant going to jail.
A famous poem by Robert Frost, the novel Tangerine, Sojourner Truth’s historic speech on slavery, and a drama by Shakespeare all show you the choices that real and imaginary characters make and how those choices affect their lives. Close reading strategies will help you to determine what each text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from what it does not say explicitly. Writing and speaking will focus on text-based evidence. For example, you and your peers will write a literary analysis of a novel and include findings from research to produce a multimedia biographical presentation. Much like in Grade 6, you will be asked to write in narrative, expository, and argumentative modes.
You will also look at print texts and then examine how those same texts are portrayed in film. Dramas are like a film performed on stage, and you will get to star in a performance of a scene from another of Shakespeare’s plays.
grade 8
In SpringBoard Grade 8, units of study focus on the theme of challenge. Among the many texts that you will read are an essay about Civil War heroes, narratives about the Holocaust, a novel, and short story by Ray Bradbury, Elie Wiesel’s Nobel Prize acceptance speech, poetry by Walt Whitman, and a play by Shakespeare.
These texts take you into the world of heroes—both everyday heroes and extraordinary ones—who face challenges and take actions to overcome them. You will learn about the archetype of “hero,” which is a model that writers follow in creating stories about heroes. Writing and speaking opportunities are varied and engaging. For example, you will write a hero’s journey narrative about a hero of your choice, along with essays and an argument that presents your position on an issue in a compelling way. Using research on an issue of national or global
significance, you will create an informative multimedia presentation. Viewing film is also a part of researching and analyzing what authors are communicating. As part of studying comedy and Shakespeare, you will analyze scenes from the play A Midsummer Night’s Dream and then view those scenes in film to determine how and why a film director may have changed the scenes.
ClAssroom tools
As you move through each SpringBoard unit, your teacher will guide you to use tools that will help you develop strong study habits, keep your work organized, and track your learning progress.
reader/writer notebook
Your Reader/Writer Notebook is a place to record and keep track of vocabulary words, grammar practice, notes and reflections on readings, some writing assignments, brainstorms, and other items as determined by your teacher. You will use your Reader/Writer Notebook often, so think of it as an extension of the main SpringBoard book.
word wall
Your teacher will regularly add new vocabulary words to the class Word Wall. The Word Wall gives you and your classmates a visual reminder of the words you are learning throughout the unit of study. Also, you can use the Word Wall to easily check the spelling of new words.
Performance Portfolio
Your Performance Portfolio is a place to keep your assignments organized so that you can see your growth and learning across the school year. Keeping a portfolio will make it easier to share your work with others, reflect on what you are learning, revise certain pieces of work, and set goals for future learning.
Your teacher will guide you to include items in
your portfolio that illustrate a wide range of work, such as first drafts, final drafts, quickwrites, notes, reading logs, graphic organizers, audio and video examples,
and graphics that represent a variety of genres, forms, and media created for a multitude of purposes. As you progress through the course, you will have opportunities to revisit prior work, revise it based on new learning, and reflect on the learning strategies and activities that help you be successful.
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